Devin Harris
|weight = |position = Point guard |birth_date = February 27, 1983 |birth_place = Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |team = Dallas Mavericks |college = Wisconsin |nationality = USA |draft = 5th pick |draft_team = Dallas Mavericks |draft_year = 2004 |career_start = 2004 }} Devin Harris (born February 27, 1983 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) is an American basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin and gained national notoriety for his play at the collegiate level. Early life Devin Harris grew up in Wauwatosa, a first ring suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Son of Terry and Julie Harris, he has a brother named Bruce and a sister named Tanisha. Throughout high school, Harris was a superior athlete and took up basketball and volleyball at Wauwatosa East High School. He only played volleyball for one season, a season in which he gained all-conference honors, before he set that aside to focus on basketball. Harris was nagged by injuries after his sophomore year of high school and was unable to participate in the summer basketball camps and tournaments that are ever important in the recruiting process. Thus, Harris flew somewhat under the radar. Harris exploded his senior season at Wauwatosa East, setting school scoring records through an undefeated regular season. Harris was named Wisconsin's "Mr. Basketball" for 2001, edging out Travis Diener of Fond Du Lac. Harris finally accepted an offer to play for Dick Bennett at the University of Wisconsin. Bennett retired in the midst of the upcoming season and by the time Harris arrived on campus, Bo Ryan was the head coach. NCAA career In Harris' freshman season, the 2001-2002 season, Harris was already a starter on a relatively unheralded team. The Badgers came into the season being predicted to finish as low as ninth in the Big Ten Conference (which has eleven teams). On a team lead by seniors Charlie Wills and Travon Davis, the Badgers won an unexpected Big Ten Championship (shared with three other teams: Indiana University, University of Illinois, and Michigan State University). Harris' sophomore season was his "breakout" year. Harris, along with senior Kirk Penney and fellow sophomore Mike Wilkinson, led the Badgers to their second consecutive Big Ten Championship. In the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers reached the "Sweet 16". In the "Sweet 16" game against the University of Kentucky, Harris showed a national audience his skill although the team lost. The 2003-2004 season had Harris establishing himself as one of the top players in the nation. Harris was the leader on the team and was considered a "coach on the floor" by Bo Ryan. He received Big Ten Player of the Year and the Silver Basketball award, and was named a Second Team All-American. Harris decided to leave college early after his junior year to play in the NBA. NBA career Days prior to the draft, the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks consummated a deal that involved the Wizards' 5th overall pick going to the Mavs along with Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner in exchange for Antawn Jamison. NBA rules prevented teams from trading draft picks for two consecutive years so the deal was momentarily delayed until the actual draft in which Washington selected Devin Harris and subsequently traded him to the Mavericks to complete the deal. The Mavs' plan was to bring Harris along slowly under the tutelage of all-star point guard Steve Nash but after Nash bolted during free agency to sign with the Phoenix Suns; it did not work. In Harris' rookie season, he averaged 5.7 ppg and 2.2 apg, but put up a respectable (especially for a rookie) PER of 14.69. Also, he ranked 2nd in the NBA in Steals per 48 Minutes at 3.15 (behind only Larry Hughes), and in November 2004 was named the got milk? Rookie of the Month. Although he started for much of the early portion of the season, his playing time dwindled as the season progressed. This could be due in part to the Mavericks coaching change from Don Nelson to Avery Johnson in March, but also because of Harris' need to add strength to compete more efficiently at the NBA level, particularly at the defensive end. Predictably, Harris has shown marked improvement in the early stages of the 2005-06 season, especially when it comes to scoring; as a result, his minutes have also increased as he has taken more of the ballhandling responsibilities from Jason Terry. He ended the year with averages of 9.9 ppg and 3.2 ppg. He had improved his jumpshot and his ability to split defenses and get to the rim, occasionally ending in powerful dunks. Unfortunately, he was injured midway through the year with a leg injury and remained out (though he played a bit here and there) until the end of the regular season. Harris has proven invaluable in Dallas's quest for a championship in the 2006 playoffs. Harris has averaged over 20 points a game for the series against the San Antonio Spurs, starting twice. Player profile Harris is one of the quickest players in the NBA and creates problems for defenses with his slashing skills - the latter makes him a very important piece in the Mavs' rotation especially with their lack of a distributing point guard because it draws defenders and sets his teammates for easy shots. If the defense doesn't collapse, Harris is more than willing to score as he is able to finish strong around the rim and has the inate ability to absorb contact and still finish the play, oftentimes leading to several three-point play opportunities. Although Harris was a fantastic shooter in the collegiate level, his jumpshot in the NBA has continued to improve as Devin becomes more settled in his professional skills. Opposing defenses would usually sag off Harris and dare him to shoot that's occasionally punctuated by a brick. His defense is above-average at this stage owning good lateral footwork and long arms to draw charges and blocks but he would need to bulk up to become a more physical defender in the future. Trivia * His hobbies includes shopping and playing video games. * Close friends with Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. * Has dunked on Chris Andersen, Adonal Foyle, Josh Childress and Rodney Buford. External links *NBA.com - Devin Harris *NBA Fantasy Basketball Stats - Devin Harris Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin Harris, Devin